Controlled scribbling: coloring at about 18 months to 2 years
Staying inside a line is still out of reach, and asking for it now is the fastest way to make a child put the crayon down.
What a child at this stage can usually do
- Scribbles without being shown first, and can copy a line someone else draws
- Makes round looping marks and up and down strokes on purpose
- Turns the pages of a book one at a time
- Keeps most of the marks somewhere on the drawing rather than all over the table
What to look for in a page
- Thick outlines still, but the shape can have two or three parts now
- One drawing per page, and nothing else on the sheet competing for attention
- A word printed under the drawing, so naming comes along with coloring
- Single-sided pages, because a marker at this age goes straight through
The book we publish for this stage
First Coloring Book for Toddlers Ages 1-3
111 big, simple pictures, hand drawn with thick lines, no small detail, one drawing per page. Animals, fairy-tale characters, flowers, foods and everyday objects keep every page new. The word under each picture can be colored too, so first words and letters come along with the coloring.
About the bookBuy on Amazon · $6.99
Sold and shipped by Amazon. We earn from the sale.
Where the developmental facts come from
Ages on this site are typical ranges, not deadlines. Children reach these points at their own pace, and a few months either way is ordinary.
- Learn the Signs. Act Early.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Developmental MilestonesStatPearls, National Library of Medicine
- Developmental Milestones: Fine Motor and Visual Motor SkillsChildren's Hospital of Orange County